A queen's tomb in the "Valley of the Nobles".

I have received the following message from one of the visitors to our website:

"I have been trying to find information about the archaeological find on the west bank of the Nile in the Valley of the Nobles. If I am not mistaken the discovery was made in 1988. The tomb which was discovered belonged to an Egyptian queen not previously recorded. The tomb itself had been plundered. This was shown by the damage inflicted on the seals upon the doorway. However, inside a masked niche in one of the walls there were found ten sealed alabaster vases. These vases contained ancient scrolls with writings in the hieratic charcater. I believe that Dr Duraid ibn al Simma was in charge of the find."

I have also enjoyed reading River God by Wilbur Smith. This is a work of fiction and, in reality, there has never been such a discovery and there is no Egyptologist called Dr Al Simma. And the term "Valley fo the Nobles" is incorrect. Egyptologists speak about "the West Bank" when they refer to the large cemetery on the west bank of the Nile, across the river from the modern city of Luxor. There is the "Valley of the Kings" there, with tombs of many Egyptian kings, but there isn't such a thing as the "Valley of the Nobles". Sorry to disappoint you.

© Jaromir Malek 2001

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